


Crimson

by Woofemus



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Immortals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28789929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woofemus/pseuds/Woofemus
Summary: "Medusa, have you ever considered the possibility of death?"
Relationships: Athena/Medusa (Granblue Fantasy)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Crimson

**Author's Note:**

> still can't believe that kny collab dropped so much lore on us!!!

The island Medusa lands on is small, so small that she'd be surprised to find anything living on here. On the other hand, there's no way skydwellers can come to this island safely unless they take a tiny airship so that's how Medusa knows there shouldn't be anyone else here. 

Even though there's a thick forest that takes up most of the island, the trees feel unnatural, like they aren't meant to be there at all. This close to the Grim Basin though, anything is possible. 

Well, they're not _that_ close, but the air is significantly colder here even though the skies are clear. If she looks off in the distance, she'll be able to see that island that's permanently covered in white. Medusa had been there once, desperation taking her to the edges of the skydom before deciding there was no way her sisters could be stuck in such a sad place. 

Medusa stands at the edge of the woods, wrinkling her nose before marching right in. Medusiana dutifully follows after her but Medusa can tell she's nervous, the way her tongue constantly flickers out in the air to check for any signs of danger. Medusa knows there isn't going to be anything—if there were traps, Nezha would've dealt with everything already—but all her nerves are on edge. The air inside of here feels too still, like they're going somewhere back in time instead. Medusa doesn't like the eeriness she can't shake from this place. 

"We're dragging her out," Medusa mutters, and Medusiana hisses her agreement. 

It's a very short walk through the woods where they reach a building, a nondescript house in the middle of the woods. Rather, it'd be nondescript on any other island but on this particular one, it sticks out like a sore thumb. 

Medusiana flicks her tongue out several times before hissing out a message. "Huh, no one inside?" Medusa says, frowning. Indeed, she can't seem to sense or hear any sort or movement from inside. She circles around the house—it's much smaller than Medusa had expected, more like a hut or shack. 

Medusa's about to go inside before a series of hoots comes from above. Glafkos descends from the sky, landing atop of Medusiana's head. He cocks his head at her, as if to ask Medusa a question. 

"Where is she?" Medusa asks him instead, growing irritated at how jumpy she feels. She usually makes an effort to be nicer but she can't help it, not with the way this island feels. Glafkos tilts his head the other way, staring at her before he hoots and flaps off of Medusiana's head. He leads them to an empty space behind the house, landing on the ground, and looks up at her. 

Medusa's about to snap at him again before she notices it, the way the ground is lifted slightly. She reaches down and—oh! It's some sort of hatch, and there's stairs leading underground through some narrow hall. Medusa's certain now that this entire island is nothing but trouble. 

Glafkos hops over to the hatch and pecks it three times in rapid succession. The sounds echo down the dark corridor. He looks back up at Medusa and inclines his head toward the tunnel. Whatever he's trying to tell her, she doesn't know but it doesn't feel important. "Thanks," she still tells him, and goes inside.

The hall's narrow enough that there's only one way to go. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for Medusa to reach what looks like the end. It's a door but it's partially open, like it's purposely left like that, and from behind Medusa can see the faint illumination of what must be the flame of a lantern. She pushes open the door and it creaks horribly, so loudly that even Medusa winces at the sound. 

"Welcome back, Nezha. Did you find what you were looking for?" Athena doesn't even look up from the book she's going through. 

"Nezha, huh?" Medusa says with a small hiss. 

Athena looks up from her book, blinking owlishly the way her companion does. "Medusa? I'm rather surprised to find you here. Was it Nezha?" 

"Yeah, the geezer told me you were here. Said he heard some other rumor so he's gone to investigate that instead. Geez, making me come here to do his dirty work!" 

"Oh… so you thought to check up on me." Athena smiles at her. "I appreciate it." 

"Wha—I just wanted to see what you were getting up to! Seriously, Nezha just coming and taking you like that just because I didn't want to go with him! Doesn't he know people don't like getting dragged around?!" 

"He had asked, and I had voluntarily come with him? I was not dragged," Athena says with a frown.

"Argh, never mind!" Medusa should've known better. She comes further into the room, looking all around. There's a table in the middle which has a lantern on it, the only source of light she'd seen. It's still too dark for Medusa's liking but she can see all around. All along the walls are shelves but most of them are bare and some are even broken, and it looks like most of them held books because there's a _ton_ of books and papers all scattered across the floor, along with other things that look like they've been shattered into unrecognizable pieces. 

Medusa picks up one of the books off the floor, flipping through it. The pages are torn and it feels stiff, and she can see some phrases are heavily crossed out. Was this book tampered with by its original author, or by someone completely different? And for what reason? If it was to hide information, then the quickest way would be to erase it. Yet, this archive is still standing. How long has this place been here? 

Medusa doesn't like this island even more. 

"So? Find anything?" Medusa asks as she puts the book away. If there's any useful information, she figures Athena will tell her, or Nezha would've mentioned something. 

"Not particularly," Athena answers. "Most of these books hold conjectures and theories but nothing concrete. The Crimson Horizon continues to remain unknown to us, as far as I have found. Perhaps this is what Nezha thought too and why he gave up perusing this place." 

"Huh, what a shame. A waste of time then." 

Athena shakes her head. "A shame, yes, but it only confirms how truly dangerous that place is." 

Of course, nothing's ever easy when it comes to trying to find out more about the world underneath them. "What kinda place is this anyway?" Medusa decides to ask instead. "This whole island feels weird, like it wasn't meant to be here." 

"I am… unsure. An archive, but of either a skydweller or Astral, I am still unable to tell. It might be a skydweller who came across Astral research centuries ago trying to record what they found, or an Astral wishing to preserve their work in this skydom before being chased out of the realm?" Athena shakes her head. "There are far too many possibilities… but I've also had that same feeling too since coming here." 

Medusa makes a face even though she knows Athena isn't looking at her. It was a good call to come over here then, because it sounds like Athena really does need someone to drag her off this island. Nothing's going to happen, and they're both more than tough enough to handle if anything does come out and attack them, but Medusa just hasn't been able to shake off this uneasy feeling ever since coming here. No matter how old they are, some secrets are just better left as that. 

"Looks like someone already got here before we did, though," Medusa says. Seriously, can this place look any more ransacked? 

"It seems that way," Athena murmurs. "By the way, Medusa, may I ask you something?" 

"Yeah, sure," Medusa says flippantly, reaching out to grab another random book and flipping through it. Oh, this book is just as useless too, with lots of its pages torn out. Why can't things ever be easy for them? Medusa's not _that_ interested in the Crimson Horizon the way Nezha, and now Athena, is but if there's anything about primal beasts… 

"Have you ever considered the possibility of death?" Athena asks. 

Medusa drops the book. 

"... what's got you speaking so morbidly right now?" she responds instead.

"It is a thought that has come to me when you spoke to me about your encounter with the Otherworldly ones. We continue to remain ignorant of what those beings are but one thing remains certain, and that is we do not seem to be compatible with each other. Thus, would it not be natural to assume that there is the possibility that the Otherworld might possess the means to kill us?" 

It's as if cold water's been splashed onto Medusa. Killing… a primal beast? Even trying to think this sentence out feels wrong. They can be sealed away but their ends only come when the purpose of their existence is fulfilled and even then, it's still not exactly death in the way the skydwellers conceptualize it. Otherwise they just come back from their cores. 

To be… _killed?_ What an absurd idea! And yet, the more Medusa thinks about the Otherworld, the more… 

"You... might be right," Medusa finds herself agreeing, her voice quiet. "Even when we fought against the skydwellers five hundred years ago, I was never afraid that I was going to die. If we took critical damage, we'd just go back into our cores, and then we'd wake up after a while."

"But those Otherworld beings were something else… our strength was being sapped, and even Medusiana was terrified!" Medusa clenches her hands into fists, her whole self trembling. "In all my centuries of living, I never felt anything like it before!" 

It makes Medusa angry when she thinks about it. They're Astral creations but there's still so little they know both about themselves and their creators… but she knows both primal beast and Astrals are, in all senses of the word, immortal. The opposite of… every living thing in this skydweller world. So long as a primal beast still has its core, they can continue to live and come back from their cores no matter what. 

"It would be nice to prepare but it seems even the Astrals do not seem to have much knowledge about these Otherworldly beings either… or perhaps they have hidden that knowledge away elsewhere." Athena puts away the book she'd been holding but she still seems lost in thought. "The uncertainty that there is a chance we can be killed before we can fulfill our own purpose… or to be reverted back to our cores and have them become tampered with so that we may never wake up while we remain none the wiser—"

"Okay, stop! Don't talk about—don't say stuff like that!" Medusa snaps. Athena likes to think aloud sometimes but Medusa doesn't want to hear this. 

_"Sometimes, someone you always thought would be there is gone."_

Medusa hates this, hates even having to entertain this thought. They're primal beasts, they'll never—they only go back to sleep if they get hurt too badly! They don't get _killed_! They'll go back to their cores and wake up eventually! That's how it's always been! No matter what, they always wake up. They aren't like the skydwellers—they aren't like the mortals!

They'll always wake up—the chance that her sisters won't—no, her sisters _will_ wake up!

There's something warm on her face now. Athena's in front of her with an apologetic expression, hand on her face as she brushes away the tears Medusa hadn't even known she was making. 

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to upset you," Athena murmurs. Medusa wants to huff and snap out a response but she's too—she's not sure what she's feeling exactly, but she doesn't want to say anything. She turns away from Athena instead, scrubbing at her eyes. At least Athena has the good graces to not say anything about this. 

"I-it's whatever. I'm gonna go outside, it's too stuffy inside of here now." Without even waiting for Athena to respond, Medusa quickly leaves the room. She's aware that this will do nothing but worry Athena but Medusa doesn't want to be in there right now. 

Both Medusiana and Glafkos look up toward her when she emerges from the cellar but Medusa doesn't pay them any mind either. She takes in a deep breath; it still feels unsettling but at least out here, the air's fresher. Medusiana slithers over, hissing in concern but Medusa pats her snout. 

"It's nothing," she tells her, "just going to take a quick walk, I'll be back soon." 

Walking around helps calm Medusa down, even if the air's starting to get even colder with the sun going down now. Beats being stuck inside a cellar with stale air at least. How does Athena even stand being in there? And for such a long time too? Ugh, both her and Nezha are unbelievable sometimes. 

By the time Medusa comes back, Athena is outside now, patting one of Medusiana's scales. 

"I'm sorry," Athena says again when Medusa reaches their side. 

"... what for?" 

"You are still upset." 

Medusa opens her mouth to speak before shaking her head, thinking better of it. Athena isn't… wrong and while she does feel better, she's still feeling too sullen to go back to her usual self. "I'll be fine. Are you done here?" she says quickly afterward before Athena can say anything else. 

Athena frowns at her but nods. "Yes. I was near the end of the archives by the time you had arrived." 

"Good." Medusa clicks her tongue and hops atop Medusiana. "We're leaving now. I don't want to be here a moment longer." She looks down at Athena expectantly. Athena looks back, perplexed. "Well? Are you coming on or not? I'll give you a ride." 

"... oh! If you are offering, then I will accept." Athena comes atop of Medusiana, and once Medusa's sure Athena is secure behind her, they fly off, away from this blasted island. 

After a while, Medusa chances a peek toward Athena, and finds her staring off in the horizon toward where they'd been. Medusa follows her gaze—oh. It's hard not to stare at the giant cloud of miasma off in the distance. Even though they're flying away from it, they're still close enough that Medusa can see how furious the winds are. It's almost like the miasma itself is alive and ready to devour everything. Not even Tiamat would be able to control winds that violent. 

"So _that_ is the Grim Basin," Athena says, sounding almost awed. "What a force! And beyond that lie more skydoms." 

"What, you thinking of traveling outside of here? They say you can't get through there though unless you have pieces of the Sky Map or something. Or unless you're… part of some skydweller group, uh..." 

"The Luminary Knights," Athena fills in. "I had heard much about them while on Amalthea." 

"Oh. Right. That group, yeah." Medusa waves her hand dismissively. The name makes the skydwellers sound powerful but they're most likely still no match against primal beasts even if they can get through the Grim Basin. "I bet it's probably dangerous for the skydwellers though, so I doubt they'll let us cross just like that if we ask them." 

"I did not mean to leave now, there is still much to do in Phantagrande." Athena says with a small laugh. "But I wonder about those other skies… and whether the sky will be as blue as it is here." 

"I figure the skies are always blue no matter what. Unless you're down there." Medusa looks below them with a sneer. Underneath the clouds they're flying over is the Crimson Horizon, and Medusa hopes they stay right where they are.

"Yes, I would imagine that too, but I would like to see it with my own eyes. If there ever were the chance for us to travel through the rest of the skies though, would you like to come with me, Medusa?" Athena asks.

Huh… Medusa never really thought about leaving the skydom. She'd be lying if the idea didn't sound enticing though. The skydwellers have so many different cultures so she's sure they'll also be just as different in a completely different part of the sky too, no less entertaining than the ones here already! Medusa would rather think about the future like this than all that Otherworld nonsense. 

"Yeah, I guess we could do that," Medusa says, grinning over her shoulder at Athena. "You're still clueless about the skydwellers so I _guess_ I have to go with you so you aren't completely helpless out there!" 

"Yes, of course. I do know how much you enjoy being around the skydwellers," Athena says with a laugh. Medusa sends her a sharp look. When did Athena learn to be so cheeky? Must be hanging around Nezha too much. For once though, she doesn't feel like snapping out a retort, so she turns back to the horizon. 

Skydwellers know they'll come to an end and that's why they're always rushing around, doing the things they do. But if primal beasts were to experience the same thing? No, no, no, Medusa doesn't want to think about that—she's already been alive for so many centuries already, and she knows she'll be alive for many more. They might be Astral creations, but they're a part of the skydweller world now, and their existences will continue no matter what the color the sky is… but if the sky does turn dark and crimson one day, then Medusa will _definitely_ make sure the skies can go back to being blue. 

And no matter what, Medusa's going to see her sisters wake up no matter how many years, centuries, or millennia that'll take. Then she'll make new memories with them, and… and then…

Then she'll just have to see the rest of the skies with Athena.


End file.
